By Karen Galarpe
One, two, three, four, five. I counted the tablets and capsules in my hand this morning after breakfast. There's vitamin C, zinc, multivitamin, fish oil, and vitamin D3.
Growing up, I took vitamin C or a multivitamin daily as my mom was worried I wasn't getting enough nutrients. I was thin, and was a picky eater too.
When I started working after graduating from college, I would sometimes buy vitamins -- not just a multivitamin but vitamin E as well for good skin.
But when I became a single mom, sometimes funds would be tight that I didn't buy vitamins anymore. I would only take them when my sister based abroad would send me some.
So that became a habit -- just take vitamins when there's a supply. They were not on my regular shopping list.
More than a year ago, a college classmate said she was selling vitamins and asked if I would like to buy some at around P1,300 per bottle. I said isn't that expensive? She said it would only amount to around P11 per capsule. So I bought some, but in my mind, it was only to help her make a sale.
Last April, I tested positive for COVID-19 (I'll write about it sometime. That deserves a longer separate post). My doctors suggested I take the following supplements during the course of my illness, on top of other prescription medicines:
- multivitamin/multimineral
- vitamin C
- zinc
- quercitin
- probiotics
- vitamin D3
- omega 3 (fish oil)
- melatonin
Post-COVID, here are the supplements my attending doctor said I should take:
- multivitamins
- vitamin C with zinc
- vitamin D3
So these are what I am taking now, the three post-COVID-19 supplements, plus I added fish oil supplement because I like it. As for quercitin, it is hard to find. For probiotics, I turn to yogurt instead.
Another doctor said I should take selenium to boost my immune system but I haven't gotten around to ordering it yet.
So there, I now take vitamins and supplements every day. Although we could get nutrients from our food, sometimes a little boost from supplements would be a great help. What supplements are you taking? ☺ If you're not taking any, maybe it's time to take some, especially with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
BOOK OF THE WEEK: I'm almost done reading This Season of Grief, a collection of stories, prayers, poems, and information on dealing with grief. I realized I am drawn to reading books about grief such as Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking, Dr. Ernie Santos' The Big C: From Cancer to Christ, and Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air. Though the content of This Season of Grief may seem sad, there is hope in each story, each poem, each chapter.
VERSE OF THE WEEK: I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations (Psalm 89:1).
